Modus Hoperandi - Ska Brewing Co.

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

12 oz can best by 01/09/11, I much prefer when IPas have canned on dates.

It pours a deep caramel amber color with a foamy and creamy off white head that seems to stick forever.

The smell is good, but not spectacular. It has a lot of tropical fruit notes along with some herbal, grassy bitterness. It has a moderate sweet smell.

The taste is also good but not super amazing. It is pretty watery for the style. But it does have a nice hop flavor and a decent hop bitterness. The hops are perhaps a bit too grassy and vegetal though, the tropical flavor isn't carried over. There is some pineyness but it seems off. It doesn't seem to have a proper malt bill as ti ends up tasting like hoppy water.

The mouthfeel is way to under carbonated and watery for the style.

It is middle of the road for IPAs.

Serving type: can

09-01-2010 22:04:13 | More by crossovert

withliterature

Texas

3.38/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer was poured a rich coppery red color with a thin white head that cleared to a fine lace.

The scent was pine-y, and reminded me of a milder Green Flash IPA. Nice scent for sure, exactly what I would want out of a good IPA.

Unfortunately, the taste did not live up to the name. "Modus Hoperandi" had me pumped up for a really intense IPA, and this wasn't quite what I expected. Not weak by any means, but not the punch I was looking for. Keep in mind that I must be pretty inured to strong hops by now, because my fellow taster found it fairly strong. However, a great beer for its price: it was cheaper than the vast majority of good IPAs on the menu at the pub I was patronizing.

The mouthfeel was nice. Not sticky, not watery, but just right. As far as drinkability, they could have served this in a pint glass instead of a 10oz. I would have enjoyed a full glass.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2010 08:08:12 | More by withliterature

YeastWrangler88

3.38/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz can into a sam adams pint glass:

Apparence: poured a medium amber color (i'd guess something like 12.5-13.5 SRM), crystal clear, looks very nice, but maybe not how a IPA SHOULD look..

Aroma: piny, earthy, with some malt sweetness coming out, also slightly "green" tasting. Smells like an average IPA, but thats not a bad thing.

Flavor: flavor is almost even between malt sweetness and the btterness of the hops, i get a sweet caramel flavor with some crystalized sugar (crystal malt) hops are definetly present, and taste nice, i just wish the sweet malt wasnt there fighting with the hops as much, i would prefer a more hop domonent flavor, but again, this is average for most IPAs ive tried.

Mouthfeel: carbonation is nice, the after-mouth-feel is kind of cloying, it completely saturated my tongue, almost like a DIPA. Bitterness is, well, bitter, slight flavor of pine and "earth" come to mind. Again, sweetness is on the high side, which tends to stick around for a while on the tongue and battles the hops, which some people might like.

Overall: this one tasted pretty average to me, it's a good "go-to" but something i would crave or drool over, eh, I dont know. It takes a lot for me to say a beer is above average, so by no means is this a bad beer, just nothing to really take note of. Pretty average down the line.

Serving type: can

11-18-2012 02:11:10 | More by YeastWrangler88

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A big shout out to woodychandler for providing this beer. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a cloudy brownish/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is dominated by hops. Taste is also a bit on the hoppy side, considerably bitter, not much else. Feels medium bodied and bitter in the mouth. Overall not a bad beer, but I feel it could use a little more balance.

Serving type: can

04-03-2011 16:21:57 | More by tone77

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this one on-tap at Lindley Park Filling Station in GSO the other day.

Pour yielded a dark amber-orange with a thin head. What little head was there created some killer lacing though. Pretty beer in the glass. Mild citrus nose. Orange, pineapple, green hops. Flavor is dull and bitter. Faded grapefruit-like bitterness. Bitter hops for sure, but not all that flavorful. Decent finish. Alright IPA, but I expected more. I guess that's the danger of checking reviews *before* having the beer, something I try not to do too often.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2011 14:47:11 | More by Onenote81

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Green can with the same logo as the bottle pictured here. Clear golden orange, decent head, a little sticky lace. Smells fairly hoppy with a faint bit of fruits in the back. The flavor is not so hoppy except for a very bitter finish. Its like malts and then just bitterness. Its cool to see more beer in cans but this is just so-so.

Serving type: can

03-06-2009 02:57:04 | More by ArrogantB

paco1029384756

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a copper color with two fingers of sticky, rocky white head.

Scent of caramel, hops, citrus, and a hint of alcohol. A pretty good balance to the scent, but I would like more hoppiness.

Taste of caramel, light hops, and not much else. Even though it is still pretty fresh, I just can't find enough to like this as an IPA.

Mouthfeel is medium light bodied with decent carbonation.

Serving type: can

07-31-2009 01:31:52 | More by paco1029384756

sampstar

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Can to pint glass.

Light copper amber color.

i smell light fruit tones but mostly pine.

Taste - For the first few drinks, the bitter then the pine was not pleasing to my old taste buds. Pine is just not what i typically look for, however, after the taste buds got accustomed to it, i enjoy it.

Easy drinker. Leaves you with a citrus pine taste.

Serving type: can

02-10-2011 13:16:33 | More by sampstar

doopiedoopiedoo

Netherlands

3.45/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a can of this stuff while in AZ.

Poured into a pint glass.

Nice orange to red. Almost copper. Nice two finger head with a good amount of lacing as the head goes away.

Pine and citrus on the nose. Typical West Coast IPA smells.

Flavors or should I say one flavor: bitterness. Not much going on here.

Medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation fairly dry finish.

I expected more of this one. The bitterness is one dimensional. If you are in the mood for something bitter this is the beer to get. If you are looking for a IPA full of flavor there are a lot of better offerings

Serving type: can

08-12-2011 13:56:57 | More by doopiedoopiedoo

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Very bright orange peeko amber color. Clear color, but has a lot of suspended particles just sort of hanging out. Lacking in head and foam or stickage for an IPA. Very sunny smelling IPA. Citrus meets some ambery cereal grains. Maybe just a sprinkle of powdered caramel on some fresh cut orange peels. Maybe some pine tar and tobacco as well. Needs a little more malt to achieve a closer balance of flavor. The palate is pretty bitter and lacking some malt to tone down some of the hops bitterness. like the oily texture though. This is a great session beer for a hop head.

Serving type: can

03-14-2009 04:49:31 | More by scruffwhor

Anthony1

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Orange color, looks pretty vibrant in the glass, with a tall creamy head of pockmarked bubbles that look like their in for the long haul. Great lacing.

hint of pine, and something a little odd that I can't yet put my finger on. Grain base is toasted, with a touch of pale malt sweetness. taste a little bit of pine, an herbal component to the hop oils, and even a bit of tobacco in there. Malts are overwhelmed by the hops .Bitter, oily finish, with the same alpha acidic texture lingering deep into the aftertaste. Sweet and pretty thick most of the way through, despite the hops overwhelming the flavor.

Serving type: can

10-14-2009 21:33:38 | More by Anthony1

jobcrackerbah

California

3.48/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - orange-red with a small thin white head. Legs slowly recede down sides of glass

S - Has the basic pine citrus smell with a decent malt backbone. The smell isn't explosive but it does the job.

T - Harsh bittering hops with a slight malt backbone. The finish is all bitterness. The beer started as a 4.0 and became 3.5 with the lack of balance coated my tongue with more and more hops.

M - Moderate carbonation with a nice sticky medium mouthfeel.

D - Decent but I feel it needs more malt or less hops to balance the beer out. There is decent amount of residual sugar but it is covered up by the excessive bitterness.

Serving type: can

06-08-2010 03:04:39 | More by jobcrackerbah

ADZA

Australia

3.48/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Beermasons for this and love that its a can and pours a see through light copper hue which leaves a very frothy three finger head and lacing everywhere looks nice,the smell is resinous piney hops with grapefruit and a touch of honey,the mouthfeel is abit light on for me and just over lightbodied with tastes of piney resinous hops first up followed by some stonefruit,a touch of redgum honey,piney hops,bitter juicy lemons and finished again with that piney hop bitterness and overall love the can apsect and even though its not over the top i could easily see this as a nice session drop just wish it would be the same price here as in the USA if ever released cheers.

Serving type: can

02-11-2012 14:23:25 | More by ADZA

smanders

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this from a can last time I was in Denver. Interesting name and logo.

Appearance - copper with a foamy head.

Smell - pepper, grapefruit, and pine.

Taste - spicy pepper with lingering grapefruit notes. The pine really comes through on this one. Good balance.

Mouthfeel - medium

Drinkability - hard to go wrong with micros in a can. This is a tasty example of the APA style. I'd recommend it to friends.

Serving type: can

01-20-2010 18:16:38 | More by smanders

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

From notes:
Look: More yellow than amber with a thick off-white head. The lacing is great but it looks more like a lager.
Smell: Citrus hops are right up front but there is something in the background that is a bit unpleasant and I can't quite put my finger on it.
Taste: Very citric, very earthy with some caramel maltiness to round it out.
Mouth: Thick and sticky. A little nasty by the end. It needs to be mellowed out a little bit.
Drink: Not bad. I was in Colorado trying out some CO brew and this didn't quite hit the top of my charts, but it was decent.

Serving type: can

12-13-2010 08:05:48 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into DFH signature glass - best by 3/11/11

Pours a hazed copper orange with some darker hues. Smaller white head fades quickly into spotty film with rings and patches of lacing on the glass.

A thick dose of sweeter malt in the nose quickly followed by some pine hops.

Slightly sweet up front, touches of caramel and slightly roasted malt. Grapefruit hop bitterness with ruby red juiciness and blood orange. Doughy malt, slightly syrupy with honey. Bittersweet hoppiness towards the finish.

Medium body, decent carbonation, a little dry and slightly chewy. Pretty quick, smooth drinking but I would have liked to see more hop profile and less malted sweetness.

Serving type: can

02-04-2011 02:33:59 | More by xnicknj

drewy813

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours clear copper. Decent head that dissipates over time leaving small layer. Lacing is light, but present.

Smells great. Sweet, little hints of fruitiness, some light spicing, fresh hops.

Taste is slightly better than average. First sip brings out the fullness of the is IPA, hop flavor is good, slight taste that reminds me of the color present, but not too bad. Flavor lingers at the back of the throat for too long.

Carbonation is spot on. But feels somewhat 'greasy'.

Drinkability is low... I crave one every now and then, but I couldn't drink it back to back.

Serving type: can

03-11-2011 00:43:33 | More by drewy813

allforbetterbeer

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought this in the can at Shuga's in Colorado Springs for something like $3. Poured into a pint glass.

Pours with normal head for a canned IPA- one finger over an orange/amber head.

This IPA is pretty straight down the road, with moderate bitterness, a strong dose of hoppiness supported by minimal malt flavors, and a slight astringency.

Conclusion: I like IPAs that deliver strong, bold, clear hop flavor but allow the malts to shine as well, and do all this with lower than average bitterness. This IPA doesn't fit that description, but as one of the hundreds of identical American IPAs that abound, it is a fine choice.

Serving type: can

01-11-2012 21:34:15 | More by allforbetterbeer

bambam2517

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz can best by May 21, 2013. Poured into a pint glass and drank at 45F.

A - Bright rusty orange body with a solid cover of white froth, very little lacing but the cover lasted all the way down the glass.

S - Extremely hoppy, piney. Peppery notes, some pear, apricot and citrus present also. Smells like a lot of complexity squeezed in here.

T - Yikes! Hop-bomb to bitterness, killed it in a bad way for me. Can't speak to any complexity going on at all, just a bitter medicinal quality. It settles down after the first taste, but then nothing more to speak of than bitter hoppiness.

M - Very dry.

O - A beer with aspirations of being great but suffers from overexuberance. More exciting than a macro brew, but less drinkable. I'd like to put it down below a 3.0 where i rate the macros in that regard, but I appreciate the effort.

Serving type: can

04-01-2013 22:19:37 | More by bambam2517

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz can, poured into a Duvel tulip.

Pours out a hazy caramel amber with a finger or so of off-white head that leaves pretty good lacing.

Initial aroma is a nice punch of pine, although after repeated swirls/sniffs, it becomes a bit obscured by sweet caramel. The pine holds up better in the flavors, sticking around from start to finish. It doesn't linger too long, though, and could be a notch stronger. Thickish body with plenty of bready malt and a touch of citrus rind. Pretty tasty brew.

Serving type: can

01-27-2010 01:27:22 | More by PDXHops

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, CO on 8/12/10.

A - Slightly hazy reddish amber with copper hues and a tight, creamy white head that deposited some frosty, icy lace all around the glass. Head retained well and flared up with each swirl of the glass. Carbonation bubbles reminded me of a fishtank filter.

S - Citrus hops paired with grainy malt notes. Pretty straight-forward IPA nose, actually. Over time, a hint of spicy pepper and mild alcohol notes emerged.

T - Flavor incorporates floral and citrus hops with just a hint of metallic tin, but not too off-putting overall. Malt is sweet with hints of caramel and bread. Finishes with dry herbal tones in the backend, resulting in a lingering hop bite.

M - Medium bodied with a slight syrupy, though untilately kind of watery, texture. Dry and hoppy. Finishes with dry, lingering bitterness on the palate.

D - Above average IPA in the grand scheme of things. Hop profile is a bit all over the map, but ultimately this is pretty tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2010 18:51:27 | More by ffejherb

JoeAmerican77

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured out a beautiful red hued, root beer color with a tallow one and a half fingers of head, gorgeous sponge lacing.

Fills the nose with a boat of hops and citrus.

Taste is thistle and bitter hops with a minimum balance of sweet pine and malts.

Mouthfeel nice and light for a heavy flavor, beautiful cold and refreshing carbonation, my favorite IPA in the last few months.

I would have maybe two or three of these, interesting and delicious enough :)

Good price for a good IPA sixer for 8.50

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 02:51:57 | More by JoeAmerican77

Star80

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer pours out a dark copper color quite dark for an India Pale Ale. Date on the can is at the bottom best before April 2011. Smell is not unlike their Euphoria, perhaps a little more subdued in that the hops don't taste quite as "wild". Some lacing on my glass. Smells like resinous pine with some pungent grapefruit and sweet malt. Actually smells kinda atypical for an IPA. But that doesn't mean it isn't nice, just not that groundbreaking. Anyway, the taste greets you with a very citric grapefruit bitterness and some sweet caramel malts. As it warms you can taste some of the alcohol but it isn't overwhelming. I am sensing that this is dry hopped, and despite the freshness date I am detecting that "extra layer" afforded by the dry hopping, which is always the first to go, is dying a little giving way to a certain malt flavor I am altogether too familiar with. Anyway, mouthfeel is smooth not overly rich and these are somewhat drinkable. Overall this is a good IPA just a tad bit underwhelming.

Serving type: can

11-08-2010 02:19:43 | More by Star80

auroracrisis

Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Got this when I was out visiting some friends in Kansas City. Poured from the can into a pint glass.

Pours a dark orange color with a one finger head that dissipates into a nice plane of tiny bubbles and a collar of foam around the edges of the glass.

The beer is a bit too cold right now but a sniff of it reveals a sweet citrus and piney hop quality to it. Some of the sweetness obviously attributed to the malts as well and would be best described as a honey like bread quality or maybe graham crackerish. Not bad on the nose but a little more aroma would be nice.

The taste begins with a malty sweetness for maybe half a second then transitions into a bitter, resiny taste. The bitter hop flavor is the one that lingers in your mouth and has a bit of a drying character to it. After a bit more warming the beer becomes sweeter and the hops become a little less apparent. Not necessarily a balanced IPA, the flavor leans more towards the bittering aspect of the style. Not bad though.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium with an appropriate carbonation. The bitter flavors leave a some-what pleasant drying affect on your tongue after swallowing.

Overall, this isn't a bad IPA. Just not my favorite. If you like bittering hops and an alright nose in your IPAs, you'd like it. Definitely cool that it comes in a can though, I really wish more beers would.

Serving type: can

05-13-2011 06:27:22 | More by auroracrisis

musicforairports

New York

3.53/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can best by Nov. 17, reviewed July 19.

Copper/amber, very clear, small head leaves decent lacing.

Smells like pine resin, grapefruit and sweet malt.

Flavor is heavy on pine hops, with some caramel malt beneath. Grapefruit is there too. I'm not a fan of the syrupy pine-sap hop profile that I sometimes get out of this, but the citrus saves it a bit.

Mouthfeel is medium. Not too light-bodied but a bit watery on the end.

Drinkable, but not really my kind of IPA. I'd go for more citrus and less pine.

Serving type: can

07-20-2011 02:54:02 | More by musicforairports